


The Coma

by adorablelilshit, Fell_Queen, Flamefriends, lazyasianscientist



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Amnesia, Incest, Memory Loss, One Sided Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-01-17 15:21:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12368550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adorablelilshit/pseuds/adorablelilshit, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fell_Queen/pseuds/Fell_Queen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flamefriends/pseuds/Flamefriends, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazyasianscientist/pseuds/lazyasianscientist
Summary: Papyrus ends up in a coma after some Anti-Monster humans tried to attack Sans.When he wakes up, he don't remember anything, including Sans.





	1. Chapter 1

Ever since it happened, Sans refused to leave Papyrus’ side. Why it had happened was simple enough to explain. There were just as many bad humans as there were good ones. Papyrus was paying dearly with his coma. He’d jumped in to save Sans from an attack from one of the more aggressive humans, of whom Sans had dealt with swiftly.

When he’d turned to see why his brother wasn’t impressed with him actually jumping into action, Sans had felt the whole world around him crumble into dust. He’d never hated humans more than in that exact moment. He had been quick to call for help. The operator had been nice enough to stay on the line with Sans, walking him through on how to take care of Papyrus’ injury.

He’d suffered a very nasty blow to the back of his head -- magic and marrow bled out from the fractures in his skull. The sight had made his own bones crawl. Still, Sans had been determined to save Papyrus. He HAD to take care of him until the paramedics arrived!

_ “Hold on Paps! Bro… please…” _ He’d cradled his younger brother in his arms, streaks of cyan magic leaking from his eye sockets. The operator had been the least of his concerns.  _ “Please… Don’t leave me alone Paps…” _

The paramedics had arrived fairly quickly -- about three minutes after a fire truck had been dispatched. Papyrus had been bandaged up and loaded into the ambulance with Sans in tow. The ride had been stressful with the humans barking orders at each other. They’d been trying to help though. Sans couldn’t blame them for not being able to keep his brother from slipping into the coma.

Even after they’d arrived at the hospital, Sans had tried to stay with his brother. At some point though, the nurses had to hold him back, insisting he couldn’t go any further. They’d directed him to a waiting room, and though it had taken some convincing, he’d begrudgingly taken a seat.

Time had moved slowly in that room. There had been a clock on the wall, and the steady tick-tick-tick of the seconds going by had felt like thunderclaps. They’d been too loud for Sans’s skull with it already so full of worry. 

A doctor had finally come to meet Sans, but their expression hadn’t been one that Sans had been hoping for. They’d taken Sans down a hall and to a window. Papyrus’s sleeping form had been on the other side.  _ “Your brother is stable,”  _ they’d started, _ “but his concussion… well, he’s still unconscious, and he’s unresponsive for now. In humans, it’s called a coma. His soul is fine, and we’re going to monitor his condition and try our best to get him to wake up.” _

_ “can i see him now?” _ Sans had wanted to see for himself. The doctor had let him in, and he’d taken a seat next to Papyrus’s bedside. Just like he’d been told, his brother was asleep. He’d taken one of Papyrus’s hands in his own and simply held it. He hadn’t known how to take the news. He still didn't. Coma. It had been and still was so surreal. All he’d done was sit there. He’d sat there by Papyrus’s side and waited, only leaving when he’d been kicked out. He’d come back the next day though. And the next. And the next. 

He’d come.

He’d wait.

He’d leave.

Rinse and repeat.

Their friends would visit sometimes. Undyne had been the first, and she’d nearly punched a hole through a wall. Alphys, Frisk, and even Queen Toriel would stop by to pay their respects to the comatose skeleton. Sans was there every chance he got.

One particular visit, Alphys and Undyne brought a small pot of flowers. The pot was ceramic and shaped like a skeleton skull. Sure it was cheesy, but Sans knew Papyrus would have liked it regardless.

“So, this coma is literally the only thing keeping Papyrus down?” Undyne asked, keeping her tone lower than usual. Sans could only nod at that. “Hmm…”

“he has to wake up on his own. doc said so.” Sans reminded her, knowing her enough to half-expect her to jump on the bed and shake Papyrus and scream at him to wake up. He looked down at his hands, one holding one of Papyrus’. If only that would work. He would have already tried that if it could.

“Th-they, um, the police found those… those Anti-Monster humans.” Alphys offered. The news pulled Sans back to the present, and he looked up to give her his full attention. “Looks like they will… Um… be on trial. F-for aggravated assault charges…” She fumbled with her cell phone then showed Sans the article. “Since you don’t want to be at the trial, no one is going t-to ask you to step forward… Mettaton is… um… playing your lawyer though… Sorry about that Sans.”

“it’s cool al. thanks for telling me.” Sans flashed her a smile, though it felt forced and hollow. Hopefully it hadn’t shown through. He felt himself shrug, not certain if he really wanted to go to the trial or not. While winning would be nice, and it would definitely help his brother, Sans really didn’t want to deal with the press, and he didn’t want to leave Papyrus’ side and miss him waking up. 

“I ALMOST FORGOT!” Undyne yelled from behind Sans. The sudden volume made both him and Alphys jump. “King Asgore is going to stop by! He’s worried about Papyrus -- all the monsters are. But King Asgore is making a public appearance because he’s worried that more Anti-Monsters will somehow sneak in here and finish Papyrus off.”

Sans nodded, then sank into his chair. He turned his gaze back to Papyrus and sighed, feeling his mood take a dive. “thank you both, for stopping by today. i know he would have wanted to make your stay more pleasant… might chew me out about not doing that. you know how papyrus gets.”

“Yeah, we better get going.” Undyne grabbed Alphys’ hand. Leading her girlfriend out of the room. “Ya better call us first when he wakes up, punk!” Giving a three finger wave, and she was out the door with Alphys, leaving Sans alone in the room with the medical equipment and his brother.

Sans sunk further into his seat, watching Papyrus and recapping what the doctors had told him before. Slight muscle spasms were common with humans, and the same thing could be said about monsters. The doctor had said that there might be times when Papyrus would move, only slightly and nothing else. There might be times when Papyrus’ eyes would be open, but still not responsive.

Sans watched for those signs, intent on just knowing that Papyrus was going to be ok. Sure, the doctors reassured him that Papyrus was a healthy skeleton, and that he would be fine. Nothing had changed though. No twitches, no eyes opening (or in his case, eye lights flashing), nothing. He just continued to lie there, looking so peaceful as if he was sleeping. That had to be the weirdest thing about the whole situation. Papyrus never slept, not really. Not like Sans did.

“heh, a bet a kiss from your prince charmin’ll wake ya up.” Sans voiced aloud in an attempt to lighten his mood. He had to be happy for when Papyrus woke up. He had to make it like nothing had changed.

. . .

_ “Sans, wake up.” _ A gentle voice spoke. Sans woke, not even realizing he’d fallen asleep. He could feel a hand on his shoulder. Groggily, he rubbed an eye socket and looked up to see who the hand belonged to.

Toriel.

“hey tori.” He yawned out, standing up and stretching his body to wake it up more. He groaned when several pops sounded in his vertebrae as they snapped back into place.

“Have you gone home, Sans?” She asked, raising a brow at him. She didn’t even acknowledge his fake smile act.

“yeah, yesterday. docs won’t let me stay overnight.” He knew he should take better care of himself. It was something that Papyrus would have yelled at him about. Right now though, it wasn’t his top priority. “i really don’t wanna leave his side though.”

“Tell you what.” Toriel took Sans’ seat next to Papyrus’ sleeping form. “I will sit here and wait for you to come back. That way if he does wake up, I can let you know.”

That was a good idea. A  _ REALLY _ good idea. Sans hadn’t eaten much of anything, and he’d been spending any time he wasn’t with Papyrus asleep. He probably needed a shower. He sighed in defeat, knowing Toriel wouldn’t let him get away with looking the way he did, just like Papyrus wouldn’t. A chuckle escaped his teeth.

“okay, tori. i’ll be back in about an hour or so.” And just like that, Sans teleported out of the room with a pop. 

Arriving in the house above ground felt wrong somehow, like the entire building was missing something. It was missing something. Papyrus. There was no energetic skeleton there to greet him or scold him for not using the door. No smell of italian spices or cooked meat wafting from the kitchen. Sans sighed, dug his hands into his pockets, and moved to the kitchen. He pulled out a container of Papyrus’ own cooking and set it in the microwave to heat it up.

While that warmed up, Sans went upstairs to the bathroom to shower and get himself cleaned up. Papyrus would be so proud of him, caring for himself. Yeah, Paps would be so proud. So proud… 

Halfway through scrubbing himself down, Sans stopped. He stared at the cloth in his hands, only to bunch it up as he choked on a sob. He sunk to the floor of the shower and held that cloth close to his sternum as he cried. Papyrus. Papyrus wasn’t here. He wasn’t here. He wasn’t here!  _ He wasn’t here!! _ His tears mixed with the water of the shower, and both swirled down the drain as he let the water rain down on him.

As much as he didn’t want to leave the spot at the bottom of the shower, Sans knew he couldn’t abandon Papyrus either. Not like this. Having run out of tears to shed, and the water now running cold, Sans crawled up to his feet, and stepped out of the shower. He dried himself, then found the cleanest outfit he had and slipped it on. He returned to the kitchen, then grabbed the food he’d reheated from the microwave. Though, once he checked the time, he decided that eating was too much of a time waster and returned the bowl to the fridge. With everything in order, he summoned his magic and returned to the hospital with a pop and the smell of ozone. 

Back to Papyrus’ room. Toriel was waiting for him. He smiled a bit to her, feeling a small warmth spark from inside the void of the rest of his emotions. He was glad she’d kept her promise and stayed. It helped settle him a little.

“Feel better, Sans?” She asked, standing up from the chair.

“yeah, heh. thanks tori. i’ll take over again.” He glanced to Papyrus, watching his brother sleep in the hospital bed. “was he too much  _ treble _ ?” He asked, hearing Toriel give a snorted laughter.

“Sans! That was a bad pun.”

“But ya like it. Yer smilin’.”

Her giggle softened, eyes fixed on Papyrus’ form on the bed. “The doctor came in earlier just to check on his vitals. I asked them what would happen to Papyrus if he never woke up. Apparently the hospital has a policy about coma patients. Two months from when he was treated, if he’s not woken up by then, one of two things will happen. You can take Papyrus home, or you can request to have his life support removed. The coma might be a way for Papyrus’ mind to repair any further damage that he sustained from the blow. If that is the case, then his repair process should be over before the two month end date, with how healthy he is. The damage itself is pretty deep though, and they really do not know if he will wake before then or not.”

Sans looked down at the floor, balling his hands up at his sides. That warmth was gone, replaced with something else. “it’s all my fault too.” Sans mumbled, sitting in the chair. “he wouldn’t have taken that blow if I…”

“Do not blame yourself, Sans. The anti-monster humans who attacked you both are going to pay for it. Through their justice courts. Right now, you focus on Papyrus. Let Asgore and Mettaton represent you and Papyrus both.”

Sans sighed, too exhausted to argue. “okay. thanks tori. if you see king fluffy ears, can you tell him thank you as well?”

“Sure Sans. I will be back in a week to visit.” She winked to Sans. “Maybe he will wake up after this?”

“heh, i can only hope.” He waved Toriel off, and once more was alone with Papyrus, the machines running softly and an occasional bleep from a monitor. He sighed again and slumped in the chair. He found Papyrus’ hand again and grasped it lightly. Sans felt so useless.

“come back to me soon, bro. everyone misses ya.”

. . .

A hand gently shook Sans’ arm, someone clearly trying to wake him again. He must have really been tired if he kept passing out like this.

“Um, excuse me?” That voice… There was something familiar about it, but it was also different. Maybe it was one of the nurses? Sans grumbled, still half asleep, and tried to shrug off the thing trying to wake him. “Excuse me, could you please wake up?”

Sans huffed, giving up on going back to sleep with this person’s insistence. He slowly opened his eyes, the first thing catching his attention being the daylight shining through the window. He rubbed an eye socket and turned to see who woke him up.

And he froze.

“Oh, sorry to bother you like this.” Sans’ eye sockets went wide when he saw Papyrus -- his little brother -- sitting up in the bed. “Could you tell me the date? OMPH--”

Sans practically flung himself at Papyrus, his arms wrapping around him in a hug. Papyrus was awake. Papyrus was awake! He was going to be just fine!

“Papyrus!” He felt himself shouting, clinging to his brother on the bed and hugging him tightly. “Paps! I’m so, So happy you’re awake!” He nuzzled his head against Papyrus’ chest and breathed him in to make sure this wasn’t a dream.

“Uh, thank you…” He felt a hand pat his back slowly and gently. “Who are you?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter is likely to change when things are better for all the authors!  
> If you wanna know more about when it'll update, please bother us on discord; https://discord.gg/mbE44vp  
> We don't bite.... much.

There was a bright and warm light resting across his eye sockets. It was annoying. He didn’t like it. He wanted that feeling of drifting in the darkness to continue, however the light was persistent, and it urged him to summon the two dots of magic that formed his eye lights. He was awake.

And though he was awake and aware, his body felt heavy. His arms felt stiff, his entire upper body was just as stiff. The light shining in his eyes came from a window nearby. He squinted at it, and moved to use his hand to block the light, but found something pull against it. He looked down, past the medical equipment, to a small figure that had fallen asleep clinging to his hand. He didn’t recognise them. 

The skeleton in question was leaning dangerously out of their chair. He didn’t think the position would be one anyone could fall asleep in, but this skeleton made it look easy. There were subtle signs that they’d been crying, judging from the faint cyan streaks that stained the other’s cheekbones. 

He forced his limbs to move, wincing at the prickly feeling that came with it. He grimaced, but he was determined to get past it. Everything in his body felt stiff and resisted moving, but he wouldn’t give up! He focused on his arms and jaw first, willing them to move at his command and find his voice.

It took several minutes, but eventually both the prickly feeling and the stiffness in his bones subsided. He sighed in relief and pushed himself into a sitting position, then turned his attention to the sleeping skeleton and gently shook his shoulder with a hand.

“Um, excuse me?” His voice felt forced and he could feel the strain, but that didn’t stop him from speaking. The little skeleton shifted a bit in their sleep, only to squeeze their eye sockets closed tighter, as if trying to wish the world away. “Excuse me, could you please wake up?”

He heard a small groan and sigh from the skeleton, then watched as they shifted again and slowly started to wake up themselves. The behavior looked almost cute, in a way. Like a cat. He noticed how the skeleton turned their attention to the door first, not even considering that the person who woke them up was the one they were halfway in bed with. Odd.

“Sorry to bother you like this,” he started. The other’s entire body stiffened at that, then slowly turned to look in his direction. He flashed a small smile, trying to come off as polite. “Could you tell me the date?”

He jumped in surprise when the other practically lunged for his neck, letting out a loud “OMPH--” in response. He couldn’t help but tense up at the sudden hug. This wasn’t the reaction he’d been expecting at all. He just wanted to know what day it was. 

“Papyrus!” The other’s tone was flushed with joy. “Paps! I’m so, so happy you’re awake!” He felt the skeleton start to nuzzle into his chest. It was almost cute, aside from the boundaries the other was crossing. As much as it probably should have warmed his soul, he could only frown, feeling awkward. At least he knew his name now. Papyrus.

“Uh, thank you..” Papyrus wasn't sure why the smaller skeleton hugged him. He felt bad about it too. Surely they knew each other, judging by the other’s reaction, but he couldn’t recall how they knew each other. He wrapped his arms around the small skeleton anyway, hoping that it would help with the awkwardness he felt, and lightly tapped them. He looked down at the small figure. “Who are you?”

All together the nuzzling stopped. The skeleton slowly shifted his head to look up to him. Their eye lights were nothing but faint pinpricks in otherwise empty eye sockets.

“i-it’s me, sans…” He could see a growing dread in the skeleton’s face, watching their -- his -- eye lights flicker like dying bulbs and shift back and forth with uncertainty. “you were knocked out… by anti-monster humans. you saved my life, and you’ve been staying here in the hospital ever since… paps, if this is a joke it’s in very poor taste.”

Papyrus reached back into his mind and tried his best to recall what this monster -- Sans -- had told him, but in the end, nothing came to mind. No humans, no injury, no Sans. It was just blank. A sort of nothingness that wasn’t quite like a void, but rather like trying to wade through muddy water. Somewhere in his bones, he felt like he knew the skeleton in front of him. It was just out of reach though, nothing more than a vague, dull nagging in the back of his skull. They had to be close though, considering how Sans had reacted to seeing him wake up. Maybe they had been lovers?

“you’re serious, aren’t you.” Sans’ tone faltered, and his expression grew more defeated and hopeless. Papyrus’ felt his soul ache at seeing Sans so down. 

“I’m sorry, Sans. I can’t remember a thing,” he started solemnly. “But maybe it’ll come back to me. Yes, I’m sure it will. We just have to give it time.” He forced a smile, trying to reassure Sans, and held him a little tighter. One hand stayed by his shoulder blades while the other moved lower to rest on the lumbar vertebrae just above his sacrum. He felt Sans tense up slightly at first, but then he relaxed again. “And when I remember, we can go back to normal. For now, let’s just get some rest. I promise I’ll wake up.”

“Okay Papyrus.”

Papyrus kept his hold on Sans and carefully laid down with him. He smiled when Sans snuggled up to him. Cute. He listened to the other’s breath gradually soften as sleep took him. Papyrus couldn’t fall asleep though. His mind was buzzing with hypotheticals. How Sans and him had met, what they were like as a couple, what Sans’ parents were like… Eventually, his train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and a nurse walking in. Papyrus held a finger to his teeth, silently asking them to be quiet. He was happy when they nodded in response.

“Just in to check on your vitals. Sans has been very worried about you.”

“I can tell.” Papyrus smiled down at Sans and brushed the side of his skull with a tender hand. “I’m glad he’s here.” He leaned forward and tapped his teeth against Sans’ frontal. His soul felt warm when bone met bone.“I wish I could remember him. I’m sure it’ll come back to me though”

The nurse paused, then jotted something down on the clipboard they’d brought. “You’re very lucky to have a monster like Sans, and some great friends. Though that fish lady scares me. I need to get the doctor in here so he can evaluate your memory for possible trauma.”

“How long before the doctor comes in?”

“Probably about an hour or so. You can keep Sans here for now. As long as he’s not bothering you.”

“He’s not, thanks.” Papyrus smiled to the nurse, then turned his attention back to Sans and gave him another soft kiss while the nurse looked over the various machines in the room. His soul just felt so warm with Sans so close like this. It felt right to be this affectionate towards him. He moved his hand from the side of the other’s face and returned it to his back, where he rubbed small circles into his shoulder blades.

He did feel bad though. Sans must have been worried sick because of him. He looked to the sleeping skeleton and nodded to himself, deciding then and there that he would do whatever it took to make it up to Sans. For now though, he’d let the little skeleton rest. He continued to rub small circles into Sans’ shoulder blades, watching him sleep. He really was cute like this, all curled up on his sternum. 

“Okay, your vitals are reading good, at least good for a monster. Be sure he’s off of you before the doctor comes in.” The nurse smiled one more time, then left for the door. They almost bumped into two more monsters on their way out.

A lizard monster and a fish monster stood in the doorway, looking surprised to Papyrus and Sans. The fish was the first one to speak between the two. “PAPYRUS!” The fish fist bumped into the air and flashed a toothy grin. “YOU’RE AWAKE! THIS IS AWESOME! Why is Sans sleeping on you, nerd?”

The lizard walks closer to the bed, fidgeting with her hands. The fish following after her. Papyrus watched the two of them, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the excitement. Were these the friends the nurse had mentioned?

“Hey… guys.” Papyrus smiled back, trying to hide his nerves. He hoped they wouldn’t ask too many questions. He didn’t know if he could answer them. “Sorry he didn’t get the chance to tell you.”

“S-so you woke up… and Sans… he, um, he was so happy he passed out on you?” The lizard asked, taking the only seat in the room.

“That punk didn’t keep his promise to me!” She shrugged it off though, eyeing both skeletons. She moved closer to the chair, hand resting on the lizard’s shoulder. “So, Papyrus! Anything else we should worry about with you health wise? Do ya need a drink or some food?”

“Um… no, thank you.” He just kept smiling. Maybe if he smiled enough, they wouldn’t have to know. He could be normal for them. He could pretend for now. “The doctor is suppose to be in soon, and I need to set Sans back in that chair. Could you help move him off of me please?”

“Sure thing! Al, ya might wanna move.” The lizard, Al, got up from the chair while the fish moved closer and scooped up Sans. Papyrus watched how he was handled and noted that he seemed to sleep just as nicely when being carried. Sans didn’t even stir when he was placed in the chair again.

He gave a short “thanks,” and a smile, then watched the two for a moment. He eventually looked back to Sans, his smile growing warmer. “He’s pretty much out cold from exhaustion after being so worried for so long. I hope Sans can get some well deserved rest now.”

“W-well, you are S-sans world. He always t-t-talks good things a-about you.”

“Yeah, you two are pretty inseparable. It makes sense that he’d worry about you like he did.”

Papyrus listened intently as he used this new information to help further understand his relationship with Sans. This was concrete proof that he and Sans held some sort of strong relationship, if that comfortable warmth he’d felt when he’d held him wasn’t evidence enough. Sans had stayed by him for so long, and that alone made Papyrus’ soul throb happily.

“I really do feel lucky right now.” Papyrus continued, watching Sans sleep on the chair. The little skeleton seemed to have a knack for falling asleep wherever was comfortable enough for him. “I don’t really deserve Sans, but I’m going to make it up to him. He deserves that much after everything he’s done for me.”

“I’m sure a nice dinner at Grillby’s would be plenty for him. We all know how much he loves that place.” It was the fish woman who spoke. Papyrus was internally relieved that she was giving him things to work with. “I know you don’t like the grease, but it’s a good place to start.”

“Thanks,” Papyrus replied, “I’ll think about it.”

“In any case, you’re expecting your doctor soon, right? We should leave so you can have your privacy.” She made a beckoning gesture to Al. “C’mon Alphys.” She looked back to Papyrus one more time and flashed a toothy grin. “If Sans wakes up, tell that punk he OWES ME!”

“S-see you later, Papyrus.” Alphys commented, following the other woman out of the room.

They really revealed a lot to Papyrus. Just from talking to the two, he not only learned they are his friends, but that he and Sans have a special relationship going on. Watching Sans sleeping on the chair. A special relationship the two of them share, and he can’t remember a single moment of it.

Papyrus felt really bad for that. He has to do something to make up everything to Sans. Become a better lover would be a good start, though he has nothing to go off of his memories to improve himself on being a better lover. He will try nonetheless.

The doctor walks in, clipboard in her hand. She pauses when she saw Sans sleeping in the chair, looking to Papyrus who gave her a shrug.

“Well, let’s see if I can help you on the head trauma part.” She gives a soft smile. “We’ll start simple. Name?”

“Papyrus.”

“Last name?”

“Um… I don’t remember.”

“Okay… and his name?” She points her pen to Sans.

“That’s Sans.”

“Last name?”

“I… don’t remember.”

“Do you remember your relationship with Sans?”

“I…. I just know it’s special.”

“Interesting wording. Do you remember how you ended up in the hospital?”

“...No, but I was told it was protecting Sans.”

She stops marking on the clipboard, glancing up to Papyrus.

“Did Sans tell you that you both have a special relationship?”

“No. It was a feeling I had while holding Sans on me earlier. I also had that confirmed by Alphys and a very bossy and scary fish lady.”

“And who is Alphys?”

“She’s a yellow lizard.”

The doctor looks to Sans, then back to Papyrus. She marks a few more things on the clipboard. Stopping to look over at Sans again.

“Did Sans tell you about Alphys?”

“No, the crazy fish lady said her name a few times.”

“And do you remember your birthday? Where you were born?”

“No, I… I don’t.”

“Okay, one more question. What comes to your mind when asked any of these questions? The ones you cannot remember?”

Papyrus thinks about the questions, trying to recall the answers. He only got the same feeling. The same thought. LIke he knows the answer, but it’s still missing.

“Nothing. Like it’s missing. I look to Sans, think about what he’s done for me, what I’ve put him through just from being in this hospital. In a coma. What sort of situation I had put him in that I had to save him. I can’t even remember that. I feel bad for not remembering.”

“Well, a blow to your lower cranium has caused you to fall into a coma. It’s not unheard of that the hit also gave you Amnesia. You don’t remember anything, long term, but the information you’re getting now is sticking. That’s a good thing.”

“Amnesia? But… I remember how to speak, what feelings are, that sort of stuff.”

“Long term memory loss is more than forgetting everything. You lost the memories to a certain date. Speaking will not be a problem. The thing with Amnesia, it will come back. So don’t stress yourself on not remembering. You can still pick yourself back up by paying attention. Like you have been doing.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I think I’ll be able to manage with Sans help.”

“Good. It also don’t hurt to watch the people he interacts with to get a better understanding of all your relationships. Relying on just one person to tell you everything isn’t a good idea.” She heads out the door, looking back to Sans then Papyrus. “Sounds like you have some great friends to rely on to help you remember.”

“Have a good day, Doctor.” He watches her leave the room. Good, he’s alone again with Sans. This feels right for him. Natural.

He can definitely fix his relationship with Sans, something told him it’s possible to do that. Maybe starting things back on a date to Grillbys? He might have hated the place before, but who knows what would come from going with Sans?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going home, and learning about your life can be a really hard challenge...

Sans shifted, slowly waking up in the chair. He rubbed his eye sockets and stretched, groaning when a few bones popped back into place. He looked to the side to find Papyrus awake in his hospital bed. At first, he wondered if he’d only been out for a few minutes, but the sunlight pouring in from the window and the clock on the wall both told him that it was already later in the afternoon. At least Papyrus looked ok. Sans moved from his chair and stood up to stretch again, this time accompanied by a yawn. 

“hey paps.” Sans muttered, catching Papyrus’ gaze. He’d been staring since Sans had woken up, and possibly before then. How long had Papyrus been awake? Had he napped at all since he’d woken up? “um… s-sorry i passed out on ya.”

“Oh, it’s no problem, Sans. You have to be exhausted after constantly looking after me.” Sans felt himself relax a bit at the familiar tone in the other’s voice. Papyrus being considerate of others was always part of his character, and it felt nice knowing that part of him hadn’t been forgotten. “And, actually... when I get checked out, do you wanna go to Grillby’s?”

There was something in Papyrus’ voice that made Sans pause. “something wrong, pap? you usually hate grillby’s.”

“Well... someone told me something while you were asleep, and... I thought having a meal together would help me tell you about it...”

“what happened?” Sans felt his nerves spike at that. Papyrus’s tone had grown more meek -- something that just didn’t suit him.

“My doctor came in while you were sleeping. She asked me some questions, and when she was done, she told me I had amnesia.”

Sans went still, almost as if moving would somehow make Papyrus’ amnesia worse. He felt himself lost for words and could only stare for a moment.

“Please don’t look at me like that. I won’t... die or anything like that. I just don’t remember... everything.”

“i… i know.” Sans muttered, moving closer to the bed. “but you wouldn’t be here if i hadn’t gotten into trouble with the anti-monsters.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and placed a hand over Papyrus’. “this... it’s my fault.”

“Sans…” He could hear sympathy in Papyrus’ voice. Sans looked to Papyrus, his eye lights wavering a bit. “...come here.” With a small nod, Sans moved closer until he was sitting on Papyrus’ lap. “I don’t blame you for what happened. I’m sorry that you were in trouble and I put you through so much while I was in that coma.”

Sans shook his head, then looked down to avoid Papyrus’ gaze. He couldn’t handle it. It wasn’t Papyrus’ fault, and it hurt to hear him apologise for something that wasn’t his fault. “paps... can we talk about something else? please? ...you said your doctor visited?”

“Yeah. She says I should rely on you and Alphys and the loud fish lady to help me remember, if not remember then at least help me piece my life back together until my memory returns.” 

“Her name’s undyne, pap.” Sans muttered quietly. After a moment, he felt Papyrus’ gaze on him. “paps… i’m really sorry this all happened to you. i... i wish i could make it up to you somehow...” He forced himself to look back up at Papyrus.

“Then how about treating me to Grillby’s once they release me?” Papyrus smiled and winked at Sans. He wasn’t sure how to interpret it, but he didn’t have the energy to deny Papyrus right now.

“okay… since you insist.” He still felt a little off-put by it. Why did Papyrus want to go to Grillby’s? And how did he know about Grillby’s if he had amnesia? More specifically, how did he remember Grillby’s and not Sans? “but... you’re sure you want to go to grillby’s?”

“Well, I was told that you like Grillby’s a lot, so I thought it would be ok.”

“did… uh, did alphys tell you?”

“Kinda… mostly Undyne.”

Papyrus seemed dead set on Grillby’s, not that Sans was going to complain. The food was pretty good over there. He carefully moved from Papyrus’ lap and slid off the bed. “well, okay. i’ll go see when you can be discharged. give grillbz the heads up you’re going to show up to eat his food and stuff.”

“Do you have to make reservations there?”

Sans laughed. “oh no, it’s not a classy joint like that. grillby’s is a diner. just walk in, take a seat, and order food.”

“Then why would we call ahead?”

“well… ya didn’t really like his food before. might throw him off if you just show up after your personal boycott for the last 4 years.”

“...oh. I guess… a warning wouldn’t be so bad… but I’m not the same me from before.” Papyrus gives a gentle smile, trying to reassure him that everything will be fine. “I promise, nothing bad will happen.”

Though that didn’t calm Sans down at all, and it struck another painful chord in his soul. He didn’t want Papyrus to notice though, so he forced a smile that didn’t quite meet his eye sockets. “okay. i’ll trust ya on this one, paps.” He still couldn’t shake the guilt though. It was his fault Papyrus was here. He’d do anything Papyrus wanted to make up for it. “i’ll... i hafta clean up the house a bit. kinda left it a mess when i was there last.”

“Oh? Had a party without me?” Papyrus tried at a joke. It was... pretty good, actually. It made San’s fake grin feel less fake for a moment.

But Papyrus hated jokes when it came to cleaning. He always had... “yeah, if you count my laziness as being a part of that party.” He shrugged, trying to play it cool and not let on how much it hurt. It was the little things, but they made it all the more clear that the skeleton sitting in that bed was not the brother he’d practically raised.

Instead of hearing Papyrus groan or nag him, Sans heard Papyrus hold back his laughter. This wasn’t Papyrus.

“You’re pretty funny, Sans.”

It WASN’T Papyrus. The realization hurt. It felt like his soul was breaking apart.

“so, i’m gonna go do that now...” Sans turned to face away from Papyrus. He didn’t want the other to see the tears he was trying so desperately to hold back. “just... call me when you get discharged, kay? should either be today or tomorrow.”

“Well, okay Sans. I’ll see you when I’m discharged.” Papyrus sounded saddened by the soon to be separation.

IT’ WASN’T PAPYRUS!

Sans disappeared with a pop. The moment he reappeared in his living room, he collapsed on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. The house was a mess, but more than that, it felt lifeless without Papyrus. Everything just felt wrong. Even when “Papyrus” came home, it just wouldn’t be the same with Papyrus’s memory gone. It could never be the same...

But no. He wouldn’t allow himself to cry. Sans sucked in a breath, forced a smile, and got to work cleaning. Besides, it was just amnesia. Papyrus was still in there somewhere, right? And he’d get his memories back eventually, right? There was no way Papyrus would never remember him. Just... no way. 

What a cruel world it would be if it did though. Sans’ mind was a whirlwind of different thoughts and feelings and the cleaning was not helping him ignore the intrusive thoughts. He’d caused so much trouble for Papyrus by getting involved with the Anti-Monster humans. He should have known better, but he did it anyway. And now here he was, cleaning for his brother even though the Papyrus he knew wasn’t there right now. Papyrus had been hurt because of him. This must have been fate’s way of punishing him. He shouldn’t have let Papyrus get hurt because of him. He should have been the one with amnesia. He should have... 

Sans stopped what he was doing, forced himself to stop thinking about those intrusive things. He looked around at the work he’d put into the living room. The center was clean enough, but he wasn’t really “cleaning” as much as he was pushing the garbage around. He sighed, then set himself on actually cleaning this time around. Finally after a long, laborious cleaning spree (by Sans’ standards,) the main room finally looked presentable. It was still messy, but definitely not as bad as before. Sans could even see the pet rock! He decided to feed it a few sprinkles. Maybe seeing the pet rock would help trigger Papyrus’ memory? Maybe all he needed was to be home? Sans would do anything to get his brother back. He still had to finish cleaning though, but the hope of Papyrus getting his memories back quickly made the task feel less exhausting.

Sans only paused when he heard his phone ring. He grabbed it and answered the moment he recognized Papyrus’s number. If he was calling, that meant he was going to get discharged! 

“hey papyrus.” He answered. He looked around, only to internally grimace when he noticed the kitchen still needed cleaning. He hadn’t even touched the bathroom, and he still had to finish washing that load of laundry. He’d wanted to dust Papyrus’s room too, just to make it extra nice for his brother.

“Hey Sans.” Papyrus’s voice answered.

“so, ya gonna be discharged today? what time?” Sans really hoped his tone didn’t sound too desperate.

“I... don’t know yet. I just wanted to talk to you.” Papyrus sounded hesitant. 

Ok, so he still had some time. Not much time, knowing himself, but there was still time to finish cleaning. Probably. “oh? something naggin’ at ya?”

“Sort of. You disappeared so... quickly. Is that something I could do?”

“Oh!” Sans felt the beginnings of a real smile starting to pull at his teeth, “sort of. you don’t use it the same way i do. you do it the cooler way.” He remembered all the cool things his brother could do with his physics-breaking magic. Those were so clear to him. “you can also use teal magic and blue soul magic, but... well you don’t really need to worry about that stuff right now. just focus on resting and getting discharged, k?”

“I miss you.”

“i’ve only been gone for a few hours. you can wait out a few more, can’t you?”

“I… guess.” Papyrus sounded uncertain.

“what else is bothering ya pap?” Sans was still his older brother. He would do everything he could to ease Papyrus’ troubles, even over the phone.

“...How do I know Undyne?”

“she’s your best friend,” Sans answered quickly. “you two use to train a lot back when you wanted to be in the royal guard. that was before we got to the surface though.”

“Sounds like we were close.” Papyrus sounded more at ease. “And she’s... Dating Alphys? Or are they just a weird pair of friends?”

“they’re a couple. i’m surprised you noticed that.”

Papyrus continued to ask questions and Sans did his best to answer them. He asked about the trial and how his memory loss would affect it. While it was true that because Papyrus couldn’t remember being assaulted, the jury might be swayed, Sans was still an eye witness. In fact, the coma and subsequent amnesia could lead to an even harsher punishment. They just had to trust them to do their job accurately.

Both skeletons continued their exchange, Sans doing the best he could to fill in the gaps of Papyrus’ memory while cleaning up. He finished the kitchen, tackled the bathroom, and started the laundry. Papyrus’ room was the last thing he did, and it only really needed to be dust. His brother always kept everything nice and tidy, so there wasn’t much aside from dusting that needed to be done. That didn’t stop him from double checking everything though. Out of all the rooms in the house, Papyrus’s room had to be perfect.

He did all of this in the hopes that Papyrus would remember something. Everything he did was for Papyrus. He couldn’t screw this up. 

It wasn’t Papyrus though.

He frowned. His mind really didn’t need to remind him.

“Sans? You okay?”

Sans forced a smile. “yeah. i told ya that i needed ta clean up the house.”

“Well, I have some good news then. I just got my discharge.”

“that’s great! i’ll pop in and come get you.” Sans hurriedly put the cleaning supplies away, then made a brief stop at in the bathroom to wash his face of whatever grime might have collected while he was cleaning. “you should come home first though. i want to make sure you’re settled before you go out.”

“You’ve put a lot of work into cleaning up the house,” Papyrus mused. “I guess I can take a tour of our home. We will have plenty of time before dinner anyways.”

“mkay. i’ll be there in a second.” Sans hung up his phone. He scanned the house once more time, then after nodding to himself, he summoned his magic and teleported into Papyrus’ hospital room.

Papyrus was there, sitting on the bed and dressed in the attire that Sans had brought over for him. They were just a pair of faded red sweats, but they looked good on Papyrus.

“You weren’t kidding about only taking a second,” Papyrus hung up his own phone, then stuffed it in his pocket. All the things he needed were on the desk by his bed: paperwork, personal items, and prescription medications. Papyrus scooped them up in his arms. “I’m ready to get out of here, whenever you are.”

“How strong are ya legs?” Sans asked, noting that Papyrus hadn’t stood up yet. He watched him rise to his feet with his legs shaking. Not that strong. Sans’s teeth pulled down into a near-frown for a second as he moved to help Papyrus. He caught himself though, and forced them back up into a smile.

Papyrus just sighed and sat back down. “Doctor thinks I should be able to walk within a day or two. As long as I keep trying.”

“you’ll get to it in no time.” Sans patted Papyrus’s shoulder reassuringly. “you need to stand up so I can get us both home though. then you can relax on the couch, ok?” He offered his hand.

Papyrus smiled and took the offered hand, squeezing it lightly before trying to get up again. He felt Sans tug on him lightly, and then the hospital room vanished in front of his eyes. In the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in a... living room? There was a tv and couch... 

Sans helped Papyrus sit down, his soul feeling lighter already. Now that Papyrus was home, it was only a matter of time before he remembered everything, right? “welcome home paps. i’m so happy you’re home.”


End file.
